1. Kirk Penney is the all-time leading scorer for New Zealand's national team and he ranks 12th all-time in points scored at the FIBA World Cup.
32 Facts About Kirk Penney
1. 2.
Kirk Penney became the second New Zealander in the NBA when he appeared briefly for the Miami Heat in 2003 and the Los Angeles Clippers in 2005.
3.
Kirk Penney went on to play professionally in Spain, the NBA Development League, Israel, Lithuania, Germany and Turkey.
4.
Kirk Penney played six seasons for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League.
5.
Kirk Penney was named the NBL MVP in 2009, named to the All-NBL First Team four times, led the NBL in scoring three times and won an NBL championship with the Breakers in 2011.
6.
Kirk Penney represented New Zealand at the Sydney and Athens Olympics and averaged 16.9 points at the World Championships in Indianapolis in 2002 and 24.7 points at the World Championships in Turkey in 2010.
7.
Kirk Penney earned NZNBL Rookie of the Year honours that year and helped the Kings reach the grand final.
8.
Kirk Penney averaged 15.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and teamed with point guard Devin Harris to guide the Badgers to a share of the Big Ten title.
9.
Kirk Penney averaged 16.2 points and was second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game, as Wisconsin won the Big Ten regular-season title outright.
10.
Kirk Penney was not drafted in the star-studded 2003 NBA draft but joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in July that year for the Orlando Pro Summer League where he led the league in three-point shooting.
11.
Kirk Penney became the second New Zealander to play in the NBA.
12.
In July 2004, Kirk Penney joined the Minnesota Timberwolves for the Minnesota Summer League in Minneapolis, and the Chicago Bulls for the Rocky Mountain Revenue in Salt Lake City.
13.
Kirk Penney appeared in four games for the Clippers and scored just two points.
14.
Kirk Penney was waived by the Clippers on 3 January 2005 and returned to the Asheville Altitude to play out the season and help the team win the 2005 NBA D-League championship.
15.
On 5 August 2005, Kirk Penney signed a two-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
16.
Kirk Penney was used sparingly as a shooter off the bench and helped Maccabi qualify for the Euroleague Final Four, eventually losing to CSKA Moscow in the final.
17.
In October 2006, Kirk Penney signed with Zalgiris Kaunas as an injury replacement for Marcelinho Machado.
18.
In June 2007, Kirk Penney signed with the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League.
19.
Kirk Penney led the league in scoring and earned All-NBL First Team for the second straight year.
20.
On 28 September 2010, Kirk Penney signed with the San Antonio Spurs.
21.
Kirk Penney was named to the All-NBL First Team for the fourth time.
22.
In mid-2014, Kirk Penney returned to the University of Wisconsin to finish off his degree.
23.
On 12 April 2016, Kirk Penney signed a three-year deal with the New Zealand Breakers.
24.
On 15 December 2017, against the Adelaide 36ers in Auckland, Kirk Penney played his 150th game for the Breakers.
25.
Kirk Penney debuted for the New Zealand national basketball team in 1999 at the age of 18, going on to represent the Tall Blacks at two Olympic Games and four world championships.
26.
Kirk Penney was part of the Tall Blacks' memorable 2002 World Championships campaign as they surprisingly finished fourth.
27.
Kirk Penney was influential in both games, with 23 points and 4 assists in Game 1, and a 24 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 2, thus winning the Al Ramsay Shield.
28.
Kirk Penney participated for New Zealand at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain and averaged 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in six games.
29.
In May 2016, Kirk Penney retired from international basketball after a career spanning 15 years.
30.
In May 2022, Kirk Penney was inducted into the Basketball New Zealand Hall of Fame.
31.
In November 2023, Kirk Penney joined the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team as special assistant to the head coach.
32.
Kirk Penney is the brother of Rodd Kirk Penney, who is a professional sportsman, and has played rugby union in New Zealand, England and Italy.